With most of us working from home at the moment, you might have found yourself analysing your face over Zoom while in a very important meeting (we have all been guilty of this!), or perhaps you are just spending more time assessing your own skin in the mirror and wondering how to bring it back to life; so we thought we’d share with you our top tips to keep your skin hydrated and glowing to get you through this latest iso!

If your skin is looking dull, lifeless and tired, or just feeling all-round irritated, there’s a good chance its lacking much needed moisture and that your skins barrier is needing some good old-fashioned TLC. Your skins barrier has an extremely important job – to protect by locking in moisture, keeping your skin hydrated and healthy; but if its damaged or compromised, it can cause some real hydration issues.

Dr Janet Prystowsky, a NYC based dermatologist explains it perfectly. “Think of your skin like a cement sidewalk. When your moisture barrier is broken, it’s like deep cracks running up and down your sidewalk. For our skin, those cracks expose our sensitive skin layers to dry air, causing them to dehydrate.”

Thankfully, there are some small changes that you can make in your daily routine to help combat this.

  • First things first, it is important to stay hydrated and this means drinking at least 2 litres of water each day. Did you know that your skin is made up of 30% water? Increasing your daily water intake, even if you are not a big water drinker, can help offset water loss and increase hydration in the skin. Drinking coffee and alcohol can dehydrate you and your skin in the process, so limit how much you are drinking of these.
  • Eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Include foods that contain Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) such as Omega-3 and Omega-6. Snack on things like walnuts, pumpkin seeds and macadamias instead of that next row of caramilk chocolate! Increase your intake of fish, such as salmon and choose to cook with olive oil.
  • Don’t sit in-front of your heater or leave it on all day! Most heating systems we use, use dry air which can suck the moisture out of your skin. When there’s less moisture or humidity in the air, your skin tries to compensate and protect itself by slowing cell turnover leading to a thicker, rougher skin that often looks dull and flaky. Choose to keep the temperatures on the cool side at home, especially at night when you can add extra blankets. And avoid really long, hot showers – this will just add to further moisture loss!
  • Get the recommended 8-9 hours sleep every night. It is when you are sleeping that your skin has the ability to repair itself and replenish moisture, so it’s important to get a well-rested nights sleep.

Along with making these small changes to your daily routine, there are a few things to look out for when it comes to your skin care routine.

Make sure you are using the right cleanser.

All too often, we see clients using the wrong cleanser for their skin type. Using the wrong type of cleanser may be doing more harm than good. Your skin naturally produces oil as a part of its protective barrier which helps to keep your skin healthy. If you are using a foaming or gel cleanser, you may be stripping the skin of its much-needed protective oils and harming this barrier which can contribute to dehydrated, dry, dull and irritated skin. If your skin is feeling dehydrated or presenting with irritation, we recommend using an oil cleanser or gentle cleanser such as the Cosmedix Purity Solution or Skinologie by Dr Yilmaz Gentle Facial Cleanser.

Stock up on products that include ceramides, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.

Using products that contain ceramides will help to repair the skin and prevent trans-epidermal water loss which will prevent dryness and irritation. Ceramides are lipids that are naturally found in the skins cells and make up approximately 50% of the outer layer of the skin. The Ultraceuticals MD Bio Repair Moisturiser is a favourite not only amongst our clinicians but also our clients. This moisturiser is formulated using a biomimetic hydrating formula to help support the lipid barrier and natural moisturising factor in the skin to provide vital hydration.

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is critical in maintaining skin hydration and is a substance that is naturally occurring in the skin. It is known for its humectant properties and its ability to bring moisture to the skin and retain 1000X its own weight in moisture. HA will not only improve the hydration in your skin, but it can also reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, redness and dermatitis. Our top picks are the SkinCeuticals H.A Intensifier and Skinologie by Dr Yilmaz Winter Hyaluronic Acid Serum. These serums are able to be applied morning and night to boost intense hydration.

Niacinamide, also known as Vitamin B3, will help to repair the skins protective barrier function which in turn can help to retain moisture and keep your skin healthy. If you suffer from redness or any inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema or dermatitis, Vitamin B3 can be extremely beneficial. Niacinamide can be found in a number of serums. Some of our favourites include the Ultraceuticals MD B2 Hydrating Serum and the Cosmedix Surge. Both of these serums are formulated with hyaluronic acid to provide long-lasting hydration.

Treat yourself to an at-home facial once or twice a week.

With a lot of us only having to commute as far as the dining table or spare room at the moment, many of us have some extra time on our hands, so why not treat yourself to an at-home facial. We have carefully customised a range of at home facials to target a myriad of skin concerns. Each kit involves 6 steps and is designed to restore the skins barrier, health and glow!

While we may not be able to treat you in clinic at the moment, we are still here to help you with all your skin concerns and to give you advice on choosing the right skin-care or at-home facial kit. We always recommend chatting with one of our clinicians before introducing a new product in to your home-care routine to make sure it is the right product for you.

Tele Skin-Consults are available and able to be booked through our website with one of our clinicians who will be able to give you the right advice for your skin and guide you through your iso-skin journey!